The Lake Princess
by Narumo
Summary: A small duck was floating sleepily on the still water. Blue, human like eyes dropping every few minutes. When she had almost nod off, a figure emerged from the mist. A girl, clothed in white silently dancing, gracefully moving in an endless paux.


Author's note: This story has been on my mind for a while and I finally wrote it down on my winter holidays. Please ignore all grammar mistakes. Also, has single handenly screwed up the fanfic format so if you see anything strange, its the page fault.

* * *

The Lake Princess

Long time ago, when the world was still new, there lived King Ecca with his people on a beautiful country full of joy. Many ages passed without pain nor grief. People lived in blissful existence, knowing no hardship or pain. But eventually disaster stuck. A terrible plague that killed almost all children and elders stroke. When only princess Ribane, hardly a three year old toddler with bright orange hair and azure eyes and the son of a servant, a boy named Wilhem Drosselmayer, remained, the King had a vision on a dream. A disembodied voice spoke to him, and promised that if he built a new kingdom on top of a hill where an old well existed and have a pure soul watch it day and night, his people would be saved.

When the King woke, he sent his bravest knights and most trusted warriors to travel the land in search of the old well on top of a hill where their people will be safe. After months of waiting, one of the knight returned with the news that all where waiting for; he had find the land that was spoke of in King Ecca's dream.

Years passed and the kingdom flourished again. Neighbor kingdoms welcomed and accepted the newcomers; commerce, marriage and customs where exchanged and many come to the kingdom hearing tales of a paradise in earth. Babies were born and the population rose again. People worked, learned, lived and thrived in the King's lands. And little princess Ribane watched the well day and night.

Wilhem and her were educated as siblings and nothing was denied to them, but while the girl grew kind and beautiful if clumsy, the boy was rough, mean and selfish, the only person who he loved and was kind to was the princess. Wilhem became bitter and resentful seeing her spend all her time on silent vigil, while all others were gay and prosperous. As he grew his heart blackened and he swore he would have revenge on them for forgetting the one they owned their happiness to.

One day, a wizard asked for hospitality in the King's castle and it was granted. Wilhem, curious, spent many a day talking to him, and so alike were they in their temperament that the wizard gave him a great gift before leaving. The power to temper with the flow of life and to create the "fate" of people. He had, but only to write what he desired to happen and it would. The wizard warned him that his power would be strongest when writing his beloved princess's story.

The boy, happy to now be able to save his loved one, rushed to her in blissful joy:

"Ribane! Oh Ribane! I now know how to set you free! You shall not longer waste beside the well alone and forgotten!" Cried the joyful boy and clasped her hands, then proceeded to tell her all about his power. However she didn't share his happiness and said gently:

"Oh Wilhem, you shalln't! For no-one knows what could happened. No, don't dare! For if anything falled over my people I couldn't be content but filled with grief!" Such were her words, and they provoked so much fury in the boy, that he tore his hands away and fled.

Great was his anger at her foolishness and the lies that had been fed to her for Ribane no longer saw herself as a person but a guardian of other lives. The Princess had become incapable of looking for her own happiness and grow content to watch others as she withered away. Her life was now reduced into being a silent guard that even her own father had forgotten and token granted for.

"Well, we will have to change that. "

On his room, he grabbed all that was dear to him and existed the castle by a secret passage he created with his gift. He made his way out of the village surrounding the palace and entered a forest to the east of the village. Climbing a branch, he toke seat and taking perchament and quill in hand, he began to rewrite his people's fate:

_"Once upon a time, King Ecca built a castle on a plain." _

The hill disappeared and the castle was on a vast plain. The village once surrounding the hill now stood closer to the castle and the river that once runned on the base of the hill now crossed the village. The habitans, however, didn't seem to notice the difference but from a few moment ago.

_"At the center, a well wi__thever flowing magic water lay: however, if not watched, the waters would rise without control. Princess Ribane was the one in charge of watching it, but she soon neglected her obligations and the waters rouse."_

Screams and curse could now be hear and water started to pour out of the castle walls. The water soon overflowed the castle, the town and a large lake filled with scream and figures trying to swim to safety on its waters.

_"All drowned."_

All the screams and shouts stoped and the stillness of death covered the land. A dense mist covered the lake and soon not even the top of the castle towers could be seen. The water settled down and little could be identified as being part of a town once.

_"And princess Ribane __lost her human form and was cursed to watch the ruins of the castle submerged in the lake."_

A little duck appeared on the center of the lake and looked around silently. Spoting the boy, the duck seemed to sigh and shock her hed sadly.

_"She would guard the lake for all eternity only to regain her human for__m as a ghost on every full moon."_

Drosselmayer then left the lake and married, passing his gift onto his descendants. When he felt death drowing near, he returned to the place where he lived on his younghand bound his spirit to the lake, so to keep the princess forever with him. Ribane's tale would come known only by Wilhem words, and a village would be build unknowingly over the remains of King Ecca's castle.

* * *

In the middle of the forest of Kinkan Town there is a lake surrounded by lillies. Mist would often cover its waters, few would cross it for they say if you come on a full moon night you could see the ghost of a girl dancing and hear the cries of all the people who had lost their way in the forest and drowned in the lake. The only way to the town was across narrow path were no herbs or trees would grow.

A small duck was floating sleepily on the still water. Blue, human like eyes dropping every few minutes. When she had almost nod off, a figure emerged from the mist. A girl, clothed in white silently dancing, gracefully moving in an endless paux. The duck felt a familiar ache as she watched the figure do what she no longer could take part of.

Ahiru watchedmesmerized as the figure danced with great passion, each movement filled with grief and eyes full of sadness. As she danced, the girl moved closer to the duck. The mist grow heavier so all Ahiru could see were the maiden eyes, shinning bright. When the duck thought she would finally see her face everything faded to black.

* * *

Ahiru opened her eyes and yawed. Looking around she noticed that Fakia's bed had already been made and noise was coming from downstairs. A soft breeze came through the open window and a light rain had started to fall at some point of the night. Stretching, the duck stood up and climbed down the stairs to the kitchen.

"Good moorning, Ahiru-Chan" Charon stood by the stove cooking his son's lunch. On the table, Fakia was already eating breakfast.

"You slept in again, stupid." The boy stopped eating and reaching for the duck, and put her ontopof the table. Charon put a plate with food infront of her and Ahiru digged in happily. The man smiled at the girl-turned-duck and went back to his cooking.

"Ahiru, you will have to stay here today." Grumbled Fakia. "I don't want you to drown in the rain."

"Quack! Quack Quack Quack!" Ahiruscreamed back at him and hit his hand with her wings.

"Now, don't bother her like that Fakia. You should leave soon any way or you be late." Charon interrumped, handing the boy his lunch.

"Right, I be going then. Later, Charon, Ahiru."

* * *

Fakia walked towards the ballet class silently, glaring at anyone who dared to come near him. Girls fawned and boys growled but none dared to talk to him, none had a death wish. So, the former warrior reached the class unbothered, and took seat near the edge. The professor made a move to talk to the loner, probably about the importance of finding love and marriage, but screams could now be heard from the hallway and he went to investigate.

The dancer sighed in relief and stared out the window. He missed having Mute to "talk to", even though the prince was much more vocal now, or the clumsy idiot who was right now sleeping at his bed. "That sounds so wrong." Come the thought with a small blush.

Class started and soon he was lost on his dancing. Now lead dancer, he had to take over, once Mute left to retake his throne. As Rue also left, Freya had become the "Prima Donna" and needed to be constantly dragged away from her flowers, which was very irritating. Also, the girls that used to hang out with Ahiru usually got into trouble in her place now and the teacher would interrumpt the class to scold them. Thankfully, class ended without mishaps and he could leave to be with Ahiru and continue to write a history he was working on.

After he had taken over the task of writing Kinkan's story and Mute had left the school he had moved buck to his adoptive father to live, mainly because of Ahiru, so she would be taken care of. While most of the town had forgotten about her and the events of the Prince's tale, Charon, Aotoaand other that were to closely mixed retained their memories. All of the students' body, however knew to little and where to far off the story to remember and were left with a vague feeling that something had happened and changed their lives.

Mute and Rue existence had only remained in their memories due to the time they had spent at the academy and they only knew that the two had moved to Mute's "native homeland", and were unable to get more details out of the grumpy boy when asked. The school administrative's staff were still wondering were the paper works to the entrance and transference of the pair had come from as no-one had ever seen any parent or guardian for any of their former students.

After the day's class ended and Fakia changed back into his uniform he sighed irritably when he saw that it was still raining, and growled at the heavens. Walking grumpily towards his home, wincing when water started to damp his pants, he resolved to forsake his plan's to anywhere with Ahiru this afternoon. It had turned into such a heavy downpour that even if he was carring an umbrella, he was getting soaked and the teen didn't want to get sick or Ahiru to get seek for the matter.

"Charon, I'm back!" He screamed towards the shop and stepped towards the kitchen to make a snack. With his (and Ahiru's) snack went to his room and was greeted by happy Quack and a bouncing duck. Taking a change of clothes he went to the bathroom to change after putting Ahiru's snack where she could reach it.

"Calm down, idiot, you are going to make me trip." Fakia smiled at the little creature as she "growled" at him and went to sit on his bed. The teen just smirked and offered her the snacks. The pair spent the rest of the afternoon in an easy silence as Fakia worked in his writing and Ahiru read a book that the boy had brought for her yesterday.

* * *

Fakia and Ahiru, after the awkward first days had settled on an easy routine, Fakia would go to school on the morning and on the evenings they would spent time together. When the weather permitted they went to Ahiru's lake or the park. Sometimes Fakia smuggled the duck into the library when he had research to do. And when the boy practiced his ballet, Ahiru would watch sitting over a towel on the floor or a bench if there was one.

The students of the academy wondered about his "pet duck", but no-one was brave or stupid enought to bother him with it. His teacher, however had asked and he had replied that she was formerly a friend's pet that he was taking care of because the other had moved to a place were he coulnd't take her to. The teacher had left it at that as he was happy to learn that Fakia at least had some social interaction outside the school and was not a total recluse. Fakia was just gland the older male didn't start with the importance of friendship as a path to marriage.

Charon and Fakia tried their best to integrate Ahiru into their daily lives so not to alienate the former girl, but sometimes the duck would still felt like she was irrumping where she had no business in. If or when the two males noticed, they said nothing. Fakia would sometimes shake his head and take Ahiru out or annoy her to take her distract her. Charon, over the months had began to understand her and have the duck keep him company during the morning at the shop. The costumers mostly attributed her presence to either the eccentric man or his eccentric son.

Mute and Rue had slipped into the town every couple of months to visit the pair, but as the effectively lived in a alternative reality, the limited their journeys to not warp Kinkan's story more or bother the blood thirsty, axe hielding book keepers. Mute's kingdom was akin to the old stories about Avalon and King Arthur's reign over mythical creatures, and was only open to those who knew where to look. The pair had taken the former knight and duck into it were the prince subjects cheerfully welcomed the once who had returned their prince.

The rain didn't stop at all during the night or the following days and Kinkan Town was rapidly drowning. Fakia became worried, however, when he began to felt a spell being cast over it. Concerned, he searched for the origin and with Ahiru, soon found that it was now impossible to exit the town or the forest surrounding it as it had been when Drosselmayerhad been messing with the town's story.

The classes were canceled because the rains had somehow managed to leek and damage the classroom so the former warrior and girl would search the place were the enchantment could come from but came back empty handed again and again. They even searched the tower where Drodedelmayer had built the machine to temper wih the flow of stories but the machine was still as broken as the day Fakia destroyed it. Any other palcethey searched yielded no clues or hints that Drosselmayer was behind the current mess they were in.

They searched for Aotoa, but he seemed to have gone missing, even from other people's memories. When they tried to look for him in his Drosselmayer House, they found a shop in its place, so they had to give up on getting his help. Even the bookseller was gone from the town. Many other places that related to Drosselmayer or Mute's tale seemed to have disappeared along them.

* * *

Ahiru was once again at the lake, watching as a girl danced alone in the moon light. The mist would cover all except the girl eyes, and the duck was sad to see them so lonely, like the prince eyes before recovering his heart. Suddenly, a shadow emerged from the mist, and started to dance with the girl. It would harshly pull her, controlling her every move, forcing her to follow it's will.

"Quack, Quack Quack Quack Quack Quack Quack Quack Quack!(Stop! You shouldn't force anyone to dance against their will.)"

* * *

"QUACK!" Cried Ahiru, and promply fell of Fakia's bed where she had fell sleep last night. Crushs and bangs could be heard and Fakia opened the door violently.

"Ahiru!" The knight sweat-dropped seeing the duck on the floor.

"Idiot, you feel of the bed, didn't you?" Groaned the green haired boy and picked the fallen bird. A weak quack was his answer and he shock his head. "Lets go, you can eat on the way."

They had spend all yesterday searching the town and they where now going to look around the forest. Ahiru would search the lake to see if any of Drosselmayer settings had reappeared. They had spent over a week already searching every corner of the town and were now searching every bit of the forest they still had access to. During the day the rain was not as heavy as the night and the closer they got to full moon the heavier the rain was at night and the habitants of the town were forced to stay inside doors to protect themselves.

They walked through the empty streets of the town, as most residents' were staying indoors to escape the constant rain even during the day. The pair had tried multiple times to search the church's underground tunnel but they couldn't open the way Edel had shown them, and couldn't find any other way to the subterranean lake. They were hoping that the lake outside the town was connected to it and to enter through there.

The church was one of the few remaining locations that was connected with Mute's tale, the other being the school and the library which had already shed no clues. When the two had sneaked into the school, they had noticed that a few room seemed to have disappeared or were heavely damaged due to strange leeks on the roof that weren't there before or because the water would somehow find open windows that were suspiciously left open.

As they neared the lake, the rain become lighter, and a heavy mist prevented them from seeing their path. So they dismounted Fakia's horse and continued their journey on foot. As the approached, Ahiru noticed that someone was dancing on the lake. The once midday's sun rays turned into a full moon's light that bathedthe lake with an eerie feeling. The forest grew darker and lillies rustled gently with the breeze.

"What the... Who is that?" Fakia tried to see the person's face but it was covered in mist. Ahiru then left Fakia's arms and flew towards the dancer. Maybe she knew something about the rain!

"Ahiru! Get back here!" The male shouted after the duck, but it was too late. Suddenly, a shadow broke from the mist and catched the yellow bird. "AHIRU!"

"You though you could escape me, didn't you?" A voice rang throw the forest. "But then, you come back on your own."

Fakia was by know close enough to see who had captured their friend. There in old fashion clothes, stood a boy very similar to Aotoa, except he had no glasses. His face was full of delight as Ahiru struggled to get free.

"Let her go!" Cried the knight as he drew his sword.

"You think you can beat me boy? You, a mere character in this story? Don't make me laugh." The boy smirked as he steeped back into the lake. "You couldn't even find me if I hadn't shown myself. You are as powerless as any of the rest. Farewell little one and remember not to cross the path of those more powerful than you."

Fakia lunged to the boy but he disappeared before the knight could catch him, and Fakia fell head first into the lake.

"Dammit! Ahiru! Where are you?! Ahiru!"

* * *

"I have to get her back." The boy murmured to himself. After, whatever it was, had kidnapped Ahiru the town had gone back to normal, the rain stopped and its missing habitants and locations had returned. Classes would start as soon as repairs in the academy were done and most shops and building were back to usual business. Even Charon opened his shop after two day the rain had stop and Kinkan was slowly returning to its every day life.

Fakia searched in vain a way to enter the hidden church pathway, be it by the church itself or Ahiru's lake but he hadn't have any luck on the matter. Now three days later he was sitting in his room trying to decide a new course of action. The boy growled as he held his head in both hands, trying desperately to think of a way to find the former girl but he had run out of option. Writing, searching and everything he had already tried hadn't brought him any closer to finding the missing duck.

The boy sighted and was about to head to another trip to the church when he heard something… Thomp… Thomp… Thomp!

Quickly, after reconising the noise he got to his feet and began to run. The green haired boy opened the door with more force than necessary and disappeared into the streets. The sound became stronger as he neared the town plaza. There, in the middle stood two figures… Well, one stood with the other dangling from his hand and playing her drum. The distaste was obvious in the first figure as was the innocent delight on the second.

"I found _this..._" Aotoa held the small green haired girl higher. "…Near my house."

"Fakia-zura!" Cried the girl. "Where's Ahiru-zura?."

Aotoa tossed the child towards the other boy and crossed his arms scowling. Fakia, after catching Azura, noticed he was carrying a old looking book. As Fakia settled the girl on her feet, Aotoa started to search for something in the book. After finding what he was looking for he handed the book to the former knight and pointed for him to read a certain page.

_The Lake Princess_

_By Wilhem Drosselmayer_

_Once upon a time, King Ecca built a castle on a plain…_

Fakia looked up and stared weirdly at the other boy. The glasses wearing one buffed and pointed at the end of the last paragraph.

_And princess Ribane lost her human form and was cursed to watch the ruins of the castle submerged in the lake._

_She would guard the lake for all eternity only to regain her human form as a ghost on every full moon._

"I found this a few days ago… When the rain had just started." Here he frowned. "However, for the way people talk, it seems like I am missing a few days, and come back after the full moon. As I very much doubt this was just a coincidence or you weren't involved couldn't you kindly inform me as to what transcurred during my absence?"

Fakia nodded and then guided Aotoa and Azura back towards his house, where he explained the events from the last week to the two. Azura seemed to not really understand what was going on, but Aotoa was greatly annoyed that he had been removed and hadn't been presence to witness the Drosselmayer-like-boy or the event leading to his appearance.

"It must be this Wilhem! While I haven't been able to connect him fully, I believe he is one of Drosselmayer-san's ancestors!"

"Oooh, zura!" More playing the drum and then a pause. "Other me says she can guide us to the lake, zura."

* * *

After Fakia had picked up his sword and Aotoa graped his mind about meeting Drosselmayer (He has purposely avoiding the fact that they were heading to a fight with him and reclaim the kidnapped duck.) the teens followed Azura to the church. The girl entered the chapel through a side door and made her way to the altar. Then she began to try and push the altar aside. The other two shuddered and moved to help her. When they managed to move it, a hole in the ground appeared.

"This leads to the lake, zura!"

The group jumped into the hole and found themselves in an underground tunnel. The girl then began to run towards one side and the two boys had to run to keep up with her. After about an hour they made it into the lake, by then Fakia was sweating and Aotoa looked ready to faint. The girl would stop even when boulder closed the path or it become so narrow they had to walk sideways to not fall, so the two had trunggled to not be left behind. After a moment to gather themselves and catch their breaths, they took in the sight before them.

There, in a huge chamber, was the lake shimmering and calm. Now, where once Rue stood withthe trapped prince, stood a beautiful palace. It shinned with its own light and seemed to be made up with crystal. A single bridge was the only way to cross the lake and enter it. Azura was already halfway into the bridge, now walking at a more normal pace, when the boys catch up to her. A big open portal was the only visible entrance. The hall of the palace was plain, with crystal walls and floor. A single staircase lead up and a pair of doors flanked each side. In the other two walls the were two more closed doors.

"Up?" Aotoa suggested.

"Maybe we should check those doors first."

When the duo opened the door, nothing could be really seen in the room, however, when they entered it, the room lighted up and a breeze could now be feel. They found themselves outdoors, in a garden, with the laugh of children in the air. Suddenly, a girl darted out from behind a tree a come running towards the pair. A boy shortly followed. They played for a few minutes, laughing and dashing this or that way.

"Princess! Where are you?!" A voice cried and the girl stopped running. Soon a servant come into the clearing and bowing hurryingly spoke. "You must go back to the well, your majesty. You know it can't be left alone."

"_Since we come to live here I was always watching it. Keeping guard" _They turned to see the some girl, now transparent, standing beside them. Now that she was still, Fakia noticed she looked remarkably like Ahiru. _"I didn't complain, because I loved my people, but he never understood…" _Here she walked towards Fakia. _"Will you make him understand?"_

The girl then dissolved into a shower of light and a single blue crystal remained floating. Then it flew with a trail of blue powder like trail into Fakia's hand. The crystal resambled the prince's heart shard that Ahiruhad searched for as Princess Tutu only now, whatever they were, had no-one to return to or clue of what to do with them.

The scene ended, withthe boy looking as his companion hurried out of the clearing, and the room went black with the only light coming through the door. Azura ohed in wonder as they exited the pitch black room and moved to search the one on the opposite wall. Fakia opened the heavy door and for a minute nothing happened, then like a mist settling over a town, the image of a garden, full of flowers in bloom surrounded them.

The same pair of children were working over a round table on the center of the garden. A mountain of books, parchments and ink bottles were scatheredover its surface. After a few minutes where both children seemed to finish their work, the girl roused and, after checking a nearby well, called for their teacher. A man came then and reviewed their work. Deming it satisfactory, he instructed the children in their next task.

"_We were raised together… And I always though of him like a beloved brother." _Spoke a new apparition. The scene changed to show the two children being teached how to dance. A wooden platform had been built into a corner of the garden and a older lady instructed the two as a small group of musicians performed. The boy looked at the girl with adoration as they learned the steps, flowing softly around the surface. _"Was it my mistake for not noticing his affection?" _Again the ghost aproched Fakia. _"Have you made the same mistake as me?"_

The group watched as the boy and girl performed a last few steps, the instructor and the musicians applauded the couple as the scene fadded back into darkness. The trio, with Fakia the last of them, moved back into the hall in silence pondering the girl's words and appearance.

* * *

"I think we are seeing the princess of the fairytale past." Aotoa murmured after they had exited the room. He had picked up Azura absentmindedly and was carrying her to the next door. "Maybe when we see all the piece she wants to show us we will be able to find her... Ahiru, I mean."

"Azura think princess look like Ahiru-zura!" The green haired girl declared. Aotoa winced as the small marionette spoke what he had tried to avoid, because being suspicious about something and actually having being thrusted into the harsh reality of the situation, and Ahiru's real age and procedence, were entirely different things for him. If the story was as old as it tried to sound, the girl could be anywhere from a hundred to a thousand years old!

"She might be…" Added Aotoa, almost gently, glancing at Fakia as he spoke. "Maybe the reason she seemed so human even though being a duck was because she was a human once."

"We have to find her… Let's go on." Fakia said as he opened the third door ending the discussion.

The girl now sitting beside the well was older, and resembled the kidnapped one even more. Beside her an older Wilhem which Fakia now recognised as the one who had kidnapped Ahiru sat writing in a book. Fakia tried and failed to ignore the resemblance to the way he and Ahiruhad spent more than one afternoon together. The pair stayed in silence with the boy glancing up every few minutes. After scrutinizing the girl for a while the boy spoke.

"Ribane?" The boy asked. "Don't you ever wish to leave this place?"

The young princess turned to the boy and shook her head, red hair waving gently at the movement. Smiling, she closed her book to give the boy her full atention.

"I am content here, even if my duty displeases you. My only wish is for the flourishment of my kingdom and for you to find happiness. "

The boy only nodded and they each returned to their own activities, however if one had looked closedly at the boy, they would had noticed a face full of loathing. The boy soon gathered his belongings and left the girl alone with her reading with only a muttered good bye. The girl stared at his back as he left for a moment, then sighed and carried on her reading.

"I was blind to his hate. I never realized how much he resented our caretakers for entrusting such a responsibility to me… nor how his dependence of me grow with age... But I didn't wish for the years of anguish to return. " As the blue shard flew to his hand a soft voice whispered. "Who was to blame? Me, them or him for wishing that?"

With the third shard in place, the figure now could be make out to be some kind of bird. A swan, Aotoa remarked as Fakia showed it to him and Azura. The trio then moved to the final door and come into a opulently decored room. In one extreme, a man sat on a throne with a pair of guards at either side. A banner proudly proclaimed the King's shield of arms.

An ancient man entered the chamber and vowed to the other. The princess was absent for once, but Wilhem was watching from behind a pilar. The man seemed to be asking for some sort of asylum and the king seemed to granted it with little persuasion. When he was led into a room, the boy knocked at the room's door and asked the man to tell him about the outside world and his powers. The man seemed amused at the boy's demands and offered him to enter the room. Flashes come and went of the man and boy talking, the older teaching the younger from dusty books, deteriorated maps and enigmatic charts.

"He come silently into the palace, saying he was a wizard of great power. My father granted him a place to rest, more out of fear of provoking him than real willingness to receive him, and Wilhem seeked him out for the knowledge of how to break the well spell. He was greatly angered by the fact that no-one had even though about asking the wizard or any other to finish my vigil. And wished with all his heart to be the one to free me." The girl now standing before them looked exactly like Ahiru, except for the grief in her eyes. "He could not understand how they could leave me forgotten in the palace gardens. Servants and lords, ladies and housekeepers avoided the place and my own father hadn't gone to see me in years. The man gave him the power to temper with people's fate. I feared such power would bring great dis-fortune when he presented it to me.""Was I wrong to doubt?"

As the images crumbled and the trio exited the room the four door banished and only the staircase to a giant door in the second floor remained. Fakia led the way with Aotoa and Azura behind him, sword ready and the fragile shard tucked into a pocket. Aotoa held the small child securely to refrain her of running off ahead of them.

When they come into the door it opened on its own to reveal a hide room with a throne in the center. In there a old man sat, dressed in the same fashion as the boy who had kidnapped Ahiru, withwhat seemed like a sleeping girl resting her head on his lap. The figure of a duck could be seen floating above both of them, every now and then flickering into a girl's form.

"Who are you and why do you dare to interrupt my rest?" The man spoke. His voiced greatly resambled Drosselmayer and the boys realized they were speaking with the boy they had seen in the four rooms' visions. Around him an aura of magic was slowly dissipating, every moment making him look older and fainter. "How have you enter this place?!"

"We have come to get Ahiru back!" Fakia cried back.

The man's feature twisted as he stood, going through the girls form and walked towards them. His face was worn and covered withwinkles, mouth contorted into a cruel frown. Fakia resisted the urge to step back at the resemblance to the former writer to Drosselmayer.

"You! How dare a mere child demand something from me?" Here he waved his hand and pointed at them. "You who have but a bit of my power and haven't learn to control it? Be gone!"

At the man word a battalion of knights appeared around them and attacked the pair. Fakia pushed them back as best as he could, but he was quickly being overpowered. When one of the knights made to run him through with his sword a bright light shone and the hovering duck disappeared to reappeared as a familiar dancer. Princess Tutu stood now between the boys and the old man, withsilent tear falling off her eyes. In the place where the prince's heart shard used to be, an unfinished pendant of a blue swan now laid.

"Wilhem, stop this! You mustn't hurt them!" The girl spoke as vines rose from around her binding the knights. Fakia had felt the crystal shard disappear from his pocket as Tutu appeared, however the sleeping girl remained near the throne and the conscious one was translucent to the eye. "These boys have done nothing to you!"

"You will not deny me again!" The man cried as he waved his arm. The vines seemed to rot and the knights swarmed the girl. Fakia sprinted towards her, and stood between her and his ancestor, sword raised in a defensive stance. The princess seemed a little confused at the teen actions and Aotoa wondered if she still remained just a part of the girl memories with the recent ones in the form of the sleeping girl on the throne.

"You will not harm her!" Fakia declared at the older man.

While Fakia and the traslucent girl fighted the knights and Drosselmayer turned his attention to them, Aotoa and Azura made their way to the sleeping girl. Wilhem noticed half way and the crows soldiers from The Crow appeared around them. The princess, noticing their plight, jumped between them and their aggressors and allowed them to reach her sleeping form.

"_Wilhem, please stop this! I had accepted my fate as should have you! The power that the man granted you have caused nothing but grief to you and your descendants!" _Ribanetried to reason with the ghost. _"Please, stop this madness."_

"I will not give you up, not to them, not to anyone!" However by then Aotoa had already reached the sleeping figure and when he touched her a fifth and final image appeared. It was of a lone duck drifting ontopa lake over the ruins of a palace. The duck's blue eyes turned to look at the old man and with a soft quack disolved into the mist.

"_Did you grow to hate me so much?"_

A final shard joined the pendant and the princess become even more translucent. The girl moved to her sleeping counterpart as the man raged and cursed.

"It was your fault! If you have spoke up none of us would have suffered!" The man screamed back as the crystal palace dissolved, leaving them on the island in the center of the lake. "YOU CHOOSE THEM OVER ME!"

The knight and crow forms began to mutate, irregular shapes and unknown shadows growing around the man as he screamed at the princess. Madness glazed his eyes as he reached out for the girl. The chamber began to crumble as Fakia rushed into the man, sword held high and pierced his heart. The man coughd blood and reached his hand pleadenly towards the red haired girl as he collapsed into the floor. His flesh disappeared and only his bone remained after the first few seconds and then they too disappeared into the ground.

The princess disappeared at the same moment as the former knight pierced the man's heart, only the sleeping form remaining slumped on the ground, blue pendant now on her throat. The girl remained pass out as rock began to fall around them.

"Fakia! Hurry!" Aotoasaid as he began to run through the trail to the tunnel out the chamber with Azura on his arms. Fakia quickly picked up the girl and followed the glass wearing boy to the exit.

When Fakia didn't attend classes once they started the female part of the school began questioning their teacher until he informed them that Fakia's father had informed him that his son would be absent from classes for the week due to family reasons. Aotoa after hearing about it on the hall ways, had to control the urge to laugh at the sorry excuse they had conjured. He knew for a fact that the reason of the boy's absence had nothing to do with family what so ever, unless you counted the fact that it was an ancestors of them appearing out of a rock.

Ahiru or princess Ribane spent the first days unconscious on Fakia's bed being cared for the boy, his father and the petite marionette. Aotoa had even visit to check up on the girl, while loudly dening any sort of concern from the girl, denial seemed to run in the family. It was the forth day since they had Ahiru back and Fakia was working on his desk as he heard a weak moan. Standing up he aproched the now awaken girl.

"Wilhem?" Fakia froze and the girl looked at him confused for a moment. After a few minutes with the girl looking at him she spoke again. "Fakia?"

The boy sighed in relief and sat on the edge of the bed, softly patting her hair. "Don't scare me like that."

"Sorry Fakia." The girl's voice grew stronger as Fakia helped her sit up. "I, every thing is confusing... Is like I suddenly have gained a whole new life..."

"We will work it out, now stay awake, you haven't eat for a while."

* * *

Ahiru, as she had preferred to be called over her old name. "I was Ribane to long ago, now I have changed to much to be called that... Beside I have always been Ahiru to you and Mute and Rue-chan." She eventually had settled over her memories and put them in other. At the second day she had stopped having flashes of confusion between them and could fully place Azura, Fakia, Aotoa and Charon on her memories. Charon and Fakia prepared a room for her on a former storage room while Aotoa and Azura keep her company. On the seventh day she was strong enough to be on her own feet and asked her caretaker to go out into the town.

* * *

After a month of the mysterious rain had stike Kinkan the early risers of the ballet class neared the building on a sunny Monday morning. When they neared the window of the ballet class they heard the soft sound of music playing. First thinking that Fakiahad turned in for some early practice, the girls rushed to the window to watch. They were disappointed when they saw a petite red haired girl moving through the basics form somewhat clumsily, as if she hadn't done them in a long time. The girl was wearing a white dress and a blue swan pendant adorned her thoat. Her hair was in a long braid with a simple white bow on to held it secure.

As the minutes passed her form grew smother and as a new song began to play she began to dance to it. As more students arrived and the crowd gathered near the classroom window, the audience to the girl dance grew. As the final notes sounded the class bell rang and the students rushed into the lecture classroom. When they entered it, they saw the usually alone Fakia listen to the cheerful ramble of the formerly dancing girl. As the teacher entered, the boy joined the main body of the class and the girl stood in front of them smiling at them.

"Class, today a new student will be joining us."

The girl bowed at them, now sporting the school uniform with the pendant intent of the normal yellow one, the white bow disappeared in favor of a nomal rubber band. With a cheery voice the girl stated and bowed to the class:

"Good morning everyone, my name is Ahiru, pleased to meet you."

The End

* * *

Author's note: There it is, I hope if any fan of Princess Tutu reads it, they will enjoy it.


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